Withdrawal of the hand or any part of the body when suddenly pricked is an example of reflex action.
The simplest form of response in the nervous system is reflex action. This is a rapid, automatic response to a stimulus, which is not under the voluntary control of the brain.
It is described as an involuntary action. Thus, a reflex action is one, which we perform automatically. It is a comparatively simple form of behavior in which the same stimulus produces the same response every time.
The unconscious actions that are performed by the body are referred as reflex actions. A sensory neurons when linked directly to a motor neuron at a synapse in the spinal cord leads to the formation of reflex arc that acts automatically. Many of the reflex actions happen in response to external stimuli which work without the captivation of brain.
Withdrawal of the hand or any part of the body when suddenly pricked is an example of reflex action. Similarly, moving our foot away when we step on something sharp, is also an example of reflex action. A knee jerk, movement of diaphragm (during respiration), coughing, yawning, blinking of eyes and sneezing are all reflex actions. In a reflex action, we are unaware that anything is going to happen to us.